Fort Benning, Georgia, 67, 90, 91, 113, 115, 128, 188, 192, 252
Fort Bliss, Texas
bivouac week/training, 45–46
description, 40
drill sergeants and, 38–39, 40, 41, 42, 50
evaluations summary, 43
fire watch, 42
individual proficiency test, 46
individual skills/evaluation, 43–45
night infiltration course, 46
physical fitness test, 45
recruits work and, 41–42
rifle marksmanship, 45
role/MOS, 46–47
Tom Hagel and, 50
Fort Dix, New Jersey, 50–51, 60–61
Fort Ord, California, 47–49
Fortas, Abe, 106
France and Vietnam, 11, 119, 157, 166, 216
“Freedom Bird,” 244
Freedom of Information Act, 261–262
French Revolution, 53
From Here to Eternity (Jones), 132
Fromson, Martin, 10
Furguson, Ernest B., 5–6
Garcia, Martin M.
Company B and, 111, 127
Hagel brothers and, 111, 191, 207, 209
on staying busy, 239
Get Smart (television), 230–231, 311n17
Giap, Vo Nguyen
Tet Offensive and, 61, 62–63
views on US peace movement, 64
on war deaths, 62–63
war strategy, 9
Gise, Donald R., 221
Gitlin, Todd, 54
Goldberg, Arthur, 106
Grant Park, 204
Grant, Ulysses, 24, 88
Great Society, 144, 206
Groom, Winston, 69–70, 304n25
Gross, John E., 75
“grunts,” 227, 228
Hagel, Bertha, 26
Hagel brothers/after Vietnam
college and, 253, 254
fistfight, 253–254
renting place together, 253
return to Vietnam (1999), 263–264
Vietnam war views, 253–254
Hagel, Charles Dean
alcohol and, 32, 33
American Legion/war remembrances, 25–26, 257
childhood, 26
death, 33
description/traits, 32
marriage/children and, 31–33
relationship with father, 32, 33
role in World War II, 27, 29–30, 31, 71, 98, 176
sons remembering him, 34
work/moves, 30–31, 32, 33
World War II and, 25, 26–30, 31, 67, 71, 98, 136, 176
Hagel, Charles Leo
brothers/parents and, 26
relationship with son, 32, 33
World War I and, 26
Hagel, Chuck/after Vietnam
Afghanistan trip (2013), 265–268
dealing with Vietnam and, 257
Jimmy’s death and, 256–257
“Omaha Two” and, 261, 262
talk radio, 258–259, 261
as US Secretary of Defense, 265–268, 297n48
as US senator, 262, 263
See also Hagel brothers/after Vietnam; Vietnam/Chuck Hagel
Hagel, Chuck/childhood
birth/full name, 31
descriptions, 31–33, 35
education, 34
newspaper delivery and, 31
relationship with brothers, 33
sports and, 32, 34
as “Tim,” 31–32
Hagel, Elizabeth (“Betty”)
children’s births, 31
Chuck/Tom discussing Vietnam and, 254
description/traits, 33
following husband’s death/as mother, 33–34
Jimmy’s death and, 256–257
remarriage, 254
sons volunteering/serving and, 51, 111–112, 130, 203
vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209
views on war/those avoiding war, 209
wedding/background, 31
work/lifestyle and, 32, 33
Hagel, Herman Christian, 26, 83
Hagel, James
birth, 31
childhood, 33–34
death/effects, 256–257
high school, 256
at home/brothers in Vietnam, 110, 111
vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209
volunteering for service/medical and, 203
Hagel, Michael
birth, 31
childhood, 33–34
at home/brothers in Vietnam, 110, 111
on parents, 32, 34, 184
vacation in Hawaii with family, 208–209
Hagel, Tom/after Vietnam
dealing with Vietnam and, 257, 258
Jimmy’s death and, 256, 257
law school/as public defender, 258, 263
See also Hagel brothers/after Vietnam; Vietnam/Tom Hagel
Hagel, Tom/childhood
birth/full name, 31
descriptions, 31, 32, 33, 35
personality/traits, 33, 34, 35
relationship with father, 33
Haig, Douglas, 89
Halberstam, David, 10, 297n50
Harriman, Averell
peace talks and, 146
Vietnam and, 106, 146
Hasselbach, Alma, 34
Head Start beginnings, 144
Heatherton, Joey, 150
helicopters/Vietnam
advantages/disadvantages, 70, 71, 100, 102, 186, 187–188
crashes/US casualties and, 187–189
maintenance/schedule, 102–103
types/descriptions, 187
Van Deusen and, 186
See also jitterbugging
Hell in a Very Small Place (Fall), 237
Hendrix, James Marshall “Jimi,” 150, 297n42
Hitler, 86
Ho Chi Minh, 61
Ho Chi Minh Trail and NVA, 9
Hodges, John, 221
Holoday, Richard K., 195, 197
Homestead Act (US/1862), 14–15
Hoover, J. Edgar, 140, 250–251
Hope, Bob, 188
Huie, Robert A., 78, 82
Humphrey, Hubert
description, 204–205
Johnson and, 204–205, 206
presidential run (1968), 204–205, 222
“humping,” 228–229
Iraq war, xii, 268, 311n22
Jersey, William C., 140
Jezek, Henry, 77, 78, 79
Jim Crow, 138
jitterbugging
Chuck Hagel on, 190
continuing/casualties (summary), 199
description, 189–190
Ewell and, 190, 211, 212
helicopters damaged/destroyed, 199
jitterbugging operation (July 1968)
aftermath, 197–199
casualties, 193, 194, 197, 198, 201, 202
fighting description, 192–197
inflating enemy casualties, 197
soldier numbers carried and, 191
staff officers after/souvenirs and, 197–198, 201
Van Deusen and, 190, 195, 197
VC/helicopter shoot-down, 196–197
jitterbugging operation (July 1968) and Tom Hagel
aftermath, 198–199
fighting/injury and, 192, 193–194, 196, 197
Purple Heart and, 199
shooting VC, 197
Johnson, Howard (“Skeets”), 91, 92
Johnson, Jerome (“Skip”)
description/traits, 152, 175, 228
Mini-Tet and, 175–176
Obama and, 297n48
Vietnam/race and, 151–152
Johnson, Lyndon B.
anti-poverty legislation/results, 252
Chinese-intervention and, 6
civil rights and, 137, 143–144
COINTELPRO and, 251
global conflicts (1968) and, 105
Humphrey and, 204–205, 206
Kerner Commission, 143–144
National Guard and, 55, 105, 127
p
olitical rivals/decision on 1968 presidential race, 145–147
public views on, 145–146
riots and, 143, 144
Tet Offensive and, 144
Vietnam counsel/advice and, 106–107, 146
Vietnam peace speech, 146–147, 153
Vietnam War and, 6, 7–8, 10, 51, 105, 143, 144, 145–147, 153
Westmoreland and, 6, 7–8, 105–107, 146
Jones, James, 132–133
Joyce, William
background, 38–39
Chuck Hagel and, 43–44, 47, 50, 72, 163, 268
as drill sergeant, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43–44, 50, 72
on staying busy, 239
Julius Caesar, 94
Keane, Jack, 69
Keats, Robert G.
death, 82, 151
description, 228
Tet Offensive, 74, 75, 79
Kennedy, John F., 93, 145, 180
Kennedy, Robert F.
murder/effects, 180, 248
presidential run, 145
views, 148
Kerner Commission
findings, 143–144
purpose/representation, 143
Kerner, Otto, Jr., 6, 143
Kerry, John, 56
King, Ernest J., 94
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
assassination/effects, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 248, 293n1
civil rights and, 139
FBI/KGB and, 147
Vietnam and, 136, 144, 293n1
King, Rodney, 296n36
Kinnard, Harry W. O., 93
Kipling, Rudyard, 119
description, 67
as limited war, 67
results/effects, 10
US “regiments” and, 96
US weaponry and, 99
Kudzu operation, 212
La Chapelle, Gary G., 221
Lakota, 13, 16
land mine explosion (April 22, 1968)
explosion/aftermath, 161–163
report from village chief, 155
return to base, 160–161
searching village/houses, 159–160
travels to village/plan, 156–158
village/location, 155
land mine explosion (April 22, 1968) and Hagel Brothers
explosion/injuries and, 161–163, 184
medevac chopper and, 163
recovering, 163–164
trip/search and, 158–161
Lee, Robert E., 88, 89
LeMay, Curtis
Andrews Air Force Base and, 17–18
background, 21
description/traits, 17, 20, 24, 106, 222, 239
SAC/Offutt Air Force Base and, 17, 18–19, 31, 137
Wallace’s presidential campaign and, 136, 222
World War II and, 21–22, 23–24, 25, 30, 98
Lincoln, Abraham, 88
Little Big Horn River battle, 15
Little, Malcolm (Malcolm X), 139
Lodge, Henry Cabot, Jr., 106
Logan Fontenelle public housing complex, Omaha, Nebraska, 249
Long An Province operation/deaths, 181–182
Long Binh base
Tet Offensive and, 60–61, 63, 65–66, 74–76, 77–82
as VC target, 66
See also specific individuals
Louis, Joe, 163
Ludendorff, Erich, 63–64, 285–286n1
M*A*S*H (film/television), 77
McCarthy, Eugene, 145
McGovern, George, 52, 256
McKenzie, Scott, 47
McNair, Leslie J., 68
McNamara, Robert
Johnson and, 10
Vietnam War and, 68, 105–106, 149
MacPherson, Myra, 31, 57
MACV. See Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little), 139
Mao Zedong, 8, 72
map reading skill, 115
Marine Corps methods, Paris Island, South Carolina, 39
Marshall, George C., 24–25
Matchee, Donald, 78–79
Medicaid beginnings, 144
Medicare beginnings, 144
Mekong Delta
importance in Vietnam War, 94, 95
rice and, 94
Michaelis, John (“Mike”), 93
Middle East conflict (1968), 105
Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV)
description, 5
See also Vietnam War; specific events; specific individuals
military conscription
French Revolution and, 53
Soviet Union (World War II), 53
military conscription/US
Civil War/paying a substitute, 55
history overview, 53–54
voluntary history vs., 53
military conscription/US Vietnam War
arbitrariness of, 53–54
avoiding, 54–56
draft/draftees, 52–53
ending draft, 255
other armed services and, 55–56, 280n39
resistance/jail and, 54
Selective Service categories, 54
statistics on, 53–54
student deferment, 55
volunteers and, 54, 56
military serving in Vietnam
age and, 57
economic class and, 57–58
education and, 58
overview, 56–57
senior people and, 56–57
shortages, 83, 126–127, 288n31, 292n33
statistics on, 57–58
See also military conscription/US Vietnam War
military/war
administrative problems and, 108–109, 110
attrition strategy and, 51
brothers killed, 108, 290n50
“butchers” overview, 88–89
combat rifleman phases, 224–226
getting hit by the enemy/meaning, 132–133
individual vs. unit replacement, 66–69
“limited war,” 67
picking leaders and, 37–38, 50
“regiment” changes, 96
soldiers returning after injuries, 133–134
staying busy and, 239
terminology/acronyms, 227–232
US weapons/enemy kills ratio over time, 99
See also anti-war movement; specific events; specific individuals
Minard, Larry D., 259
Mini-Tet
air power and, 170, 172–173, 301n48
ARVN and, 165
civilians moving out/deaths, 166, 167, 173, 178
enemy casualties claims, 177–178
fighting descriptions, 168–176
Hagel brothers and, 164, 167, 170, 174
helicopter observation and, 169, 170
location/Saigon and, 165
miscommunication/results, 171
South Vietnam police and, 168, 174
timing of, 164, 165, 179
US casualties, 168, 170, 171, 172, 173, 175, 176–177, 179
US fighters involved/plan, 164–165
VC after, 181
VC/NVA fighters involved, 165
Mondo We Langa, 261, 295n16
See also Rice, David
moon/walking on moon, 248
Morrison, Frank
background, 139, 259
as governor, 139
Hagel brothers and, 259
“Omaha Two” and, 261
as public defender, 259, 261
Murphy, Robert, 106
My Lai massacre, 242, 313n53
Nakota, 13
napalm use, 172, 178, 190, 232, 243
National Advisory Commission on Civil Disobedience. See Kerner Commission
National Guard
Johnson and, 55, 105, 127
Omaha, Nebraska and, 139, 142, 147, 249
training/obligations, 55
Vietnam War and, 55
Navarre, Henri Eugène, 1, 11
Nebraska, xii
i (map)
before Civil War, 14
European settlers and, 14–17
following Civil War, 14–15
Great Plains Indians history overview, 13–17
Indian reservations, 273n9
See also specific individuals; specific locations
New York Times, 10, 144–145
Newsweek, 35
Newton, Wayne, 150
“night hunter” operation
description, 215–216
Ewell and, 211, 212, 213, 222
October 1968 operation/casualties, 220–221
October (1968), 222
soldiers for, 213–214
Viet Cong/night and, 215, 216
“night hunter” tactic/Chuck Hagel leading
description/VC and, 215–220
equipment/preparation, 214–215
radio/messages, 217
selecting men, 214
9th Infantry Division
Area of Operations (1968), xv (map), 103
avoiding atrocities, 242
casualties summary (2-47th), 200
components, 96
“Old Reliables” nickname, 66, 283n23
patch, 82–83
as regional division, 96
See also specific individuals
Nixon, Richard M.
background, 206
COINTELPRO and, 251
election (1972) and, 256
presidential run, 145, 206, 222–223, 251
“Tricky Dick”/“new Nixon,” 206
Vietnam and, 206, 254–255
views, 148, 206, 251
North Koreans
conflict/violence (1968), 105
See also Korean War
North Vietnam Army (NVA)
ending war, 263
going south and, 6, 9
Obama, Barack, 297n48
O’Brien, Tim, 204, 306–307n1
Officer Candidate School
Chuck Hagel and, 49
Tom Hagel and, 50
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
atomic bombers, 18–19
LeMay and, 17, 18–19, 31, 137
Nebraskans and, 19–20
riot (1966) and, 139, 140
SAC headquarters, 18–19, 250
Offutt, Jarvis J., 90
Omaha, Nebraska
National Guard and, 139, 142, 147, 249
race riot (1966), 139
race riot before 1960s, 138
racial tension/conflict, 134–135, 137–139, 140–141, 147–148, 247–250, 259–262
riot/looting with Wallace visit, 134–135, 137, 141–143, 248, 250–251, 252
See also Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska, bombing (August 1970) and aftermath
Black Panthers and, 259–261
description/casualties, 259
FBI/COINTELPRO and, 259–260, 261–262
trial/verdict of “Omaha Two,” 260–261
white males leaving scene and, 260
Omaha, Nebraska, riot (1969)
Black Panthers and, 250–253
casualties/damage, 249
causes/underlying conditions, 249
Chuck Hagel on, 248
description, 247–250
“outside agitators” and, 250
Omaha Star, 251–252
Omaha World-Herald, 31
Palumbo, Antony P., 176